Attachment for animal-traps.



A. F. VOGT.

ATTACHMENT FOR ANIMAL TRAPS.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.31, 1913.

1,092,6 12. v Patented Apr. 7, 1914.

flldazfiig f FIQ ADELBERT IE. VOGT, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

' ATTACHMENT FOR ANIMAL-TRAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. '7, 1914.

Application filed October 31, 1913. Serial No. 798,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnnLnnR'r F. VocT, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAttachments for Animal-Traps, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to attachments for animal traps, of that typegenerally employed for catching arvicoline aquatic animals which inhabitthe banks of rivers and streams.

My invention aims to provide a device that permits of the traps beingset whereby an animal can carry the same into deep water, but the devicerestraining and holding the trap against movement by an animal shorewardor to shallow water. In this connection the attachment has beenprimarily designed for use in connection with traps employed forcatching muskrats, beavers, and other aquatic animals that generallycome to shore to obtain food. Balted traps are used and often set andanchored in such a manner that the animals caught in the traps can carrythe same into deep water in an endeavor to escape, and to prevent theanimal from carrying the trap into shore, I have devised a novelattachment that retains the trap in deep water until such time as it ismanually removed, thereby causing an entrapped animal to be drowned. Tothis end a line extends from shallow water into deep water and movableupon the line is a pronged sleeve to which is attached a trap and ahauling-in line. The sleeve is adapted to engage the line and preventshoreward movement by an entrapped animal, but through the medium of thehauling-in line the trap can be manually moved shoreward and reset.

My invention will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimedand reference will now. be had to the drawing wherein,

Figure 1 is a view illustrating the attachment with a set trap; Fig. 2is an enlarged side elevation of the attachment, and Fig. 3 is an endview of the same.

In the drawing 1 denotes a chain or line that extends from shallow waterto deep water. The ends of the line are suitably anchored, as by stakes2 and 3, the stakes 2 being located in shore or upon the shore wherebyit can be easily reached. Slidably mounted upon the chain or line 1 is asleeve 4: having the end thereof beveled or cut at an inclination, as at5 and provided with an opening 6. Loosely mounted in the opening 6 is alink or strap chain 7 to which is attached a trap 8 of the well knownjaw type. The inner end of the sleeve 4: is provided with V-shaped slotsor notches 9 that are equally spaced and the material between said slotsor notches forms prongs 10. One of the prongs. is apertured as at 11,and connected to said prongs is a hauling-in chain or line 12, the endof which is connected to the stake 2 or suitably anchored on shorewhereby it will be within easy reach when it is desired to move the trap8 shoreward to obtain an entrapped animal or to examine or bait thetrap. When the trap is baited it is set in shallow water adjacent to thestake 2. When an animal is trapped, and plunges into deep water, thesleeve 4 slides upon the chain or line 1, the movement of the sleevebeing limited by the stake 3 or by the hauling-in line 12. When anentrapped animal attempts to carry the trap shoreward, the prongs 10 ofthe sleeve 4 engage in the links of the chain 1 and prevent suchmovement, consequently the entrapped animal is drowned in deep water. Bymanipulating the hauling-in line 12, the prongs of the sleeve 1 can bedisengaged from the links of the chain and the sleeve pulled shorewardinto shallow water or upon the shore, thus permitting of the animalbeing removed and the trap again set. In event of either end of thechain or line 1 becoming disengaged from the anchor, the hauling inchain or line 12 prevents an animal from carrying oil the trap.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have devised a simple andinexpensive trap attachment which permits an animal to seek deep waterbut prevents a shoreward movement in consequence of which the animal isdrowned.

What I claim is 1. In an attachment for traps, the combination with ananchor line, and a trap, of a sleeve slidable upon said line andconnected with said trap, means carried by said sleeve and adapted toengage said line to restrain movement of said sleeve in one directionupon said line, and a hauling-in line connected with said sleeve.

2. In an attachment for traps, the combination with an anchored chain,and a trap, of a sleeve slidable upon said chain and connected with saidtrap, means carried by said sleeve and adapted to engage said chain torestrain movement of said sleeve in one direction upon said chain, and ahauling-in line connected with said sleeve.

3. In an attachment for traps, the combi nation with an anchored chainand a trap, of a sleeve slidably mounted upon said chain and connectedwith said trap, prongs carried by said sleeve and adapted to engage saidchain, and a hauling-in line attached to one of said prongs.

4. The combination with a trap, a submerged anchor line, a sleeveslidably mounted upon said line and connected with said trap, meanscarried by an end of said sleeve to engage the line and prevent ashoreward movement of the sleeve and the trap attached thereto, andmanually operated means connected to said sleeve and adapted to releasesaid means whereby said sleeve may be moved shoreward.

5. In an aquatic trap, a combination with an anchoring element, of apronged device freely movable in one direction upon said anchoringelement, and manually operated means connected with said device formoving the same in an opposite direction on said anchoring element.

6. In an attachment for traps, the combination with an anchoring line,of a sleeve through which the line extends, said sleeve being formedwith V-shaped notches at one end to engage and grip the line.

7 In an attachment for traps, the combination with an anchoring line, ofa sleeve" ADELBERT F. VOGT.

Witnesses LEWIS E. FLANnnRs,

ANNA M. DORR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

